Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

As the new owner of the team, Dan Gilbert wanted to leave his mark on the Cavaliers as soon as possible. Consequently, the team quickly started using a new arena.

Not only that, Gilbert also achieved significant results in terms of personnel.

Signing Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall, then poaching assistant coach Mike Brown from the reigning champions, the Spurs, and hiring the atypical Cavalier legend Danny Ferry to serve as the team's general manager.

Danny Ferry preferred to play in Italy rather than for the Cavaliers after being drafted.

What made Gilbert most proud was that he believed he had formed a special connection with James.

Herb Kohl might never be able to have that kind of connection with Frye, bound to cherish the two championships won by Frye till death.

And James? They could communicate, share their innermost thoughts, and even pursue free agents together.

This summer, the Cavaliers almost lost "Big Z" Ilgauskas, but it was Gilbert and James who went to Big Z's home together and persuaded him to stay.

The star center, who had started his career with the Cavaliers, was moved by the sincerity of the young core and the owner, ultimately accepting a 5-year, 60 million US dollar renewal contract.

Although Gilbert had owned the team for less than seven months, he had already learned an important lesson from the star-driven NBA: Whether it's watching a live broadcast or a telecast, fans are drawn by the stars.

The brighter the star, the greater the attraction.

Yu Fei had a bad reputation, Kobe's public image went down the drain after Eagle County, but James might be the NBA's most dazzling star, and Gilbert had realized this.

In order to keep himself, the team, and the star aligned, Gilbert was willing to do anything, even if it meant setting aside personal dignity when necessary. For this reason, James had privileges many other players didn't, such as his family being able to sit behind the team bench rather than in the family area like other families.

Gilbert felt he had done everything he could, but the emergence of someone like Yu Fei terrorized him, especially considering James' unusual relationship with this jerk, he couldn't help but worry about his star being influenced.

"Has LeBron arrived at the venue yet?"

Gilbert asked his assistant.

The assistant replied, "Not yet."

"Tonight is the Cavaliers' first game in the new home court, we have to win and make the event look splendid," Gilbert said. "We need to make LeBron feel proud, you understand?"

The assistant replied, "Everything is arranged."

There's fear in comparison.

In winter, Fei preferred playing away rather than at home, because the heating system at the Bradley Center was so damn lousy.

The Bradley Center was an old venue with extremely outdated facilities, and its heating even used a refrigerant system. Moreover, this refrigerant was only produced in small quantities in Wisconsin; it was no longer used in other places.

Compared to the Cavaliers' new arena, it was undeserving of a glance.

Before the game started, invited celebrities performed one after another, each wearing James' number 23 jersey and paying tribute to the Little Emperor at the end of their performance.

Fifteen minutes before the game started, the big screen at the venue played a tribute video for James.

Hmm, paying tribute to a young player who had only played for two seasons and had not yet led his team to the playoffs, Fei had only two words for such shameless management: despicable!

Of course, he strongly suggested the Bucks learn a thing or two.

But thinking of the lousy home arena, even if something similar happened, he guessed he wouldn't have the peace of mind to enjoy being flattered.

Before the game, James' girlfriend Savannah came to courtside with their son, LeBron Raymone James Jr.

Bronny is a nickname.

James tenderly kissed his son's forehead.

To him, life felt as wonderful and surreal as a dream, as he walked to the sidelines where the chalk was ready. He went over, his hands smothered in chalk, then threw it into the air.

It caused a roar from the crowd; he truly was the King of Cleveland.

But what James cared about more were his family members. On the side, he could see Maverick Carter and Rich Paul, behind the bench there was Randy Mims, Mims was sitting with his mother Gloria, then came his lover Savannah, with his one-year-old son on the lap of his beloved.

His cherished James' Gang—his family, high school friends, high school sweetheart—would always be by his side.
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What job allows you to have those you treasure around you while you're at work? There would be none.

James had achieved the ideal life he had imagined as a child, where everyone was safe, everyone was close by, and well taken care of. Now, he had to fight for himself.

Fei was waiting for him to come on stage.

"Is the chalk that fun?"

"You could give it a try."

Fei was not interested; he had no interest in any pre-game posturing or theatrics.

Then, the starters from both teams took their positions.

The Bucks' starting lineup was fresh: Yu Fei, Kevin Martin, Raja Bell, Danny Granger, Kwame Brown.

Compared to the Bucks' unconventional starting lineup, the Cavaliers' was much more conventional.

They were Eric Snow, Larry Hughes, James, Drew Gooden, and Big Z.

The Cavaliers' positions from one to five were clear-cut, whereas the Bucks looked like an indie scene, with no discernible point guard and difficulty in distinguishing the shooting guard and the small forward. The only certainty was Kwame Brown; he was undoubtedly the center.

At the start of the game, Brown won the tip-off for the Bucks.

As before, the first play of the game, Fei always looks for the inside.

That's the idea he learned from the game against the Detroit Pistons.

Start off by giving the inside a taste of success, and then they'll be willing to lay it all on the line.

However, Brown is his good brother; he actually doesn't need to do this, but Fei has already gotten used to playing this way.

Brown makes a pick and roll, Fei delivers an on-point pass, with three outside shooters spacing the floor, the lane is wide open, and Brown, with a sexy flick of his hand, pulls off an up-and-under move while in mid-air.

0 to 2

"Chris Webber?" Fei jokingly asks, "When did you get to Milwaukee?"

Brown, happy to be teased, boasts arrogantly, "If it weren't for meeting a ghost when I first started, what would Webber count for!"

Fei withdraws to the backcourt, as usual, to find his matchup with James.

Then he finds out the Cavaliers actually aren't letting James handle the ball but instead letting Snow and Hughes alternate running the plays, while James is doing what an ace forward is subconsciously expected to do: isolate, take over when tactics fail to break through, and then do whatever one can where the coaching staff's strategy doesn't reach.

Fei felt like it was akin to an old person trying to operate a smartphone.

All you can say is, being too versatile isn't always good. Mike Brown doesn't even know how to use James correctly.

But the problem is, the right way to use James is right in front of them.

How the Bucks are using Fei, that's how they should be using James.

Alas, they have their own ideas, and Fei could only mock that James had been stripped of his authority.

If they don't revolve their play around James, the Cavaliers' offense lacks any sort of highlights.

Snow lacks offensive threats, Hughes is a master of chaos, James isn't handling the ball, so no matter how they play tactically, they'll end up giving the ball to the inside.

After a series of maneuvers, sure enough, Big Z gets the ball.

Brown holds his ground firmly, forcing Big Z to hook with his non-dominant hand, but misses.

Gooden grabs the offensive rebound, only to have his shot blocked by a defensive Fei.

Granger secures the loose ball and throws it to Martin.

Within two seconds, the Bucks' counterattack has reached the frontcourt. Fei originally wanted to follow up, but seeing Martin's intent, it seems he won't be needing help.

Indeed, Martin takes the ball to the frontcourt for a showdown of real men with Hughes, and after a fierce confrontation midair, the referee calls a foul on Hughes, with Martin scoring the basket amidst the struggle.

"Dammit!" Karl curses, "That kid plays tough!"

What Fei worried about was that Martin played too tough.

However, this kind of drawing fouls, whether tough or not, always requires one to put their body out to absorb the contact. But with Martin's physique, can he really last taking such abuse?

Not everyone can be Harden, to draw fouls you need a body that can't be shattered, like reinforced steel.

Martin clearly cannot train to Harden's level.

Following that, Martin scores the free throw.

0 to 5

In the opening exchanges, Fei and James did nothing noteworthy; the role players of both teams tried to collide, resulting in the Bucks' role players entering the game rhythm faster.

After watching a few rounds, James decides to take matters into his hands to break the team's scoring drought.

The new round begins, James calls for a screen and receives the ball at the top of the arc, with Raja Bell switching onto him.

The removal of hand-checking rules has greatly weakened perimeter defenders like Bell, especially when facing a player like James.

Hands can't interfere, footsteps can't keep up, even if he anticipates the opponent's driving path, how can he withstand a human tank weighing 113KG?

This picture was hard to watch. James virtually assaulted Bell's defense in full view, barging into the paint like a truck, pushing Brown aside to finish with an and-one.

"#!@￥￥"

Fei imagines if it was him guarding James on the perimeter; he probably wouldn't fare much better than Bell. With hand-checking banned, it's almost impossible to stop James' drive one-on-one on the wing.

Before James' free throw, Karl whistles and then signals Granger to move to the perimeter. The intent is, Granger on three, guarding James, Fei to four, then switch to a zone defense.

Bell has replaced Sprewell as the Bucks' top defender. If even he gets beaten by James with one move, there's no need for others to bother; just switch to a zone defense honestly.

Before James' free throw, Fei whispers, "If you miss, the score will be 2 to 7."

"Bang!"

The classic LeBron 2+0.

Fei grabs the rebound, accelerates past James who tried to commit a strategic foul on him, but James' chase-down speed is terrifying. As Fei enters the paint, he deliberately gives a harsh body check to the trailing James, using the momentum to propel forward and executes a violent slam dunk right in front of the Little Emperor.

James is still reeling from the bump when he hears Fei say lightly:

"Better not miss next time."